Years ago, the day before Ellie moved from Georgia to California, she and her best friend Nolan sat beneath an ancient oak tree, they wrote letters to each other, and sealed them in a rusty old metal box. The plan was to return eleven years later and read them. But now, much has changed. Ellie, bereft of the faith she grew up with, is a single mom trying to make ends meet. Sometimes she watches television to catch a glimpse of her old friend Nolan, now an NBA star, whose terrible personal tragedies fueled his faith and athletic drive in equal measure. But Nolan also suffers from a transcendent loneliness that nothing has ever eased. As Ellie and Nolan move toward the possibility of a reunion at the oak tree, Kingsbury weaves a tale of loss, the power of faith, and the wounds that only love can heal, showing that it's never too late for those willing to take a chance.